Patrick Bruel

Patrick Bruel

Born 1959-05-14 (age 67) Tlemcen, Oran, France [now Algeria]
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Biography

Patrick Maurice Benguigui (born May 14, 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel, is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player.

Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, daughter of Elie and Céline ben Sidoun. He lived in the staff accommodation of the girls' school in Argenteuil where his mother was a teacher. In his youth, Bruel aspired to be a football player, but decided instead to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975.

His first success came as an actor, in 1979's Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television, and in the theater while pursuing his singing career. His first single, "Vide" ("Empty"), released in 1982, was not a success, but the follow-up, "Marre de cette nana-là" ("Fed up with that chick"), was a hit.

In 2003, just before his partner, the writer and playwright Amanda Sthers, gave birth to his first child, Oscar, on 19 August, he changed his name to Bruel-Benguigui, combining his stage name with his birth name. On 21 September 2004, he wed the then 26-year-old Sthers; it was his first marriage. His second child, Léon, was born on 28 September 2005. The couple separated in 2007.

As of 2004, Bruel has acted in more than forty television and film productions, and has made five studio albums and several live albums. In 2002, Bruel released Entre Deux, a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France's best paid singer of the year. At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004, Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre" with Marie-Florence Gros, with whom he had begun a long-term collaboration in 1998, to benefit the Red Cross. His latest album, "Des souvenirs devant", was his fourth chart-topper in France.

Bruel is a world-class professional poker player. He won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1998 for the $5,000 Limit Hold'em event. As of 2009. he has earned more than $900,000 in tournament play, of which his ten cash winnings at the WSOP account for $411,659. He also comments on the World Poker Tour in France.

In the 2010s, Bruel bought a house in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In January 2025, the house was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Bruel has been a member of the Les Enfoirés charity ensemble since 1993.

Source: Article "Patrick Bruel" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Photos

Known For

Sabrina
Sabrina

1995

as Louis

Grégory Lemarchal - Cinq ans
Grégory Lemarchal - Cinq ans

2012

as Self (archive footage)

The Brats
The Brats

2013

as Agent immobilier

Paris-Manhattan
Paris-Manhattan

2012

as Victor

Singles
Singles

1982

as François

Low Profile
Low Profile

1993

as Julien Segal

A Bag of Marbles
A Bag of Marbles

2017

as Roman

Marche à l'ombre
Marche à l'ombre

1984

as Metro guitarist (uncredited)

Vos 40 chansons préférées des Enfoirés
Vos 40 chansons préférées des Enfoirés

2025

as Self (archive footage)

Serge Lama, le dernier rappel
The Best Is Yet to Come
The Best Is Yet to Come

2019

as César Montesiho

Holy Lands
Holy Lands

2019

as Michel

Si ce soir... 1990
Sex, Love & Therapy
Sex, Love & Therapy

2014

as Lambert

Pretty Things
Pretty Things

2001

as Jacques

Paparazzi
Paparazzi

1998

as Patrick Bruel

The Murdered House
The Murdered House

1988

as Séraphin Monge